


Time for Plan Q

by meils121



Category: Leverage
Genre: Gen, Kissing, Role Reversal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 15:02:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17045888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meils121/pseuds/meils121
Summary: Nate and Sophie are on their honeymoon when they run across a job that needs a few extra sets of hands.  But how will Nate and Parker figure out who calls the shots?  And is Nate really okay with Sophie grifting (and flirting) her way through the job?





	Time for Plan Q

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lovebeyondmeasure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovebeyondmeasure/gifts).



          The plane lands with a jolt.  Parker frowns and peels Hardison’s hand off of hers.  “We landed.”  She says.  “You can open your eyes again.”

          Eliot - seated across the narrow aisle - rolls his eyes.  “Thought you weren’t afraid of planes.”  He says.  

          “I’m not afraid of the nice big planes.”  Hardison corrects.  “A ramshackle little twelve-seater?  Hell on Earth.  Except we weren’t on Earth.”

          Parker pats his hand.  “Only way to get to Nate and Sophie.”  She says.  “Come on, let’s get the bags.”

          Ten minutes later - bags in hand - they make their way across the tarmac and into the tiny airport.  Soon enough Eliot is hailing a taxi and they’re on the way to the hotel.

          “And to think I used to call Sophie civilized.”  Hardison grumbles.  The hotel is more bed-and-breakfast, exactly what you might expect to find far into the Italian countryside.  Parker grins when an old woman comes out to greet them and then screams at her husband to get the bags.  

          “They’re here!”  Sophie appears on the staircase inside.  She hurries over to give them all hugs and kisses, as though it’s been months since the last time they saw each other and not a few weeks.  

          Nate is still upstairs, and he greets Hardison and Eliot with handshakes before giving Parker a brief hug.  He’s still stingy with his affection, for the most part, but that’s okay.  So’s Parker.  

          “I thought you’d at least get through your honeymoon without finding a job.”  Eliot complains, though there’s no real heat behind his words.  

          “How’d you even find one out here?”  Hardison wonders.  The village - a good hour’s drive from the airport, and that had been a two-hour flight from Rome - has maybe a hundred people living in it.  Parker thinks for a minute.  She’s never done a job in such a small place before.  

          “It was pretty impossible to avoid.”  Nate says.  He tosses a newspaper at Hardison.  “It’s all anyone is talking about.”  

          Hardison squints at the newspaper.  “It’s in Italian.”  He says.  “I can make out, like, three words.”

          Eliot takes the paper from him.  “A developer is trying to bulldoze the whole village?”  He asks.  “The mayor is set to sign the papers in - oh, good.  Three days.  Nothing like cutting it close.”

          Nate shrugs.  “I’ve got a plan.”  He says, glancing at Parker.  “You cool with that?”

          Parker considers this.  It’s only been her and Hardison and Eliot for a few months, but she’s grown used to being the one calling the shots.  But there’s something comforting - like finding an old book you used to love - about Nate calling the play.  So she nods and sits down to listen to what he’s got.

          Besides being halfway across the world, the job’s not all that different than the ones they normally take.  A developer wanting to turn a historic village into a resort for the ultra-wealthy.  A corrupt mayor willing to make hundreds of people homeless just for a fat check.  A very angry Italian grandmother who cornered Nate and lectured him about the need to _do something_ , somehow finding the one tourist who could actual do just that.

          The con is simple enough too.  It calls for Sophie to flirt with the developer.  Hardison will investigate bank accounts and transfers.  Throw in a few Eliot-thrown punches, a break-in at the mayor’s house, and one obnoxious journalist played by Nate, and it should be done and dusted in no time at all.

          At least, that’s how things were supposed to go.  

          “Call it.”  Nate hisses over comms.  “Sophie, he’s not falling for this.”

          Hardison glances up from the monitor.  “Uh, yeah, Nate, he is.”  He says.  The developer is seconds from being wrapped around Sophie’s finger.  All it will take is a few more flirty words, a coy look or two, and a whisper in his ear.  Parker’s seen this go down more times than she can count, and while she may not be able to carry out the pieces herself, she sure knows exactly how Sophie plays this particular role.  

          “There’s something off about this guy.”  Nate mutters.  “Is - did - did she just kiss him?”  

          There’s a pause as Sophie leaves the developer’s office.  “Jealousy isn’t cute, Nate.”

          “You kissed him.”

          “I played him.”  Sophie corrects.  “Get used to it.”

          Nate puts his head in his hands and mutters something about wedding vows.  

          Parker is sitting in the crawlspace in the mayor’s house later that night.  There’s some sort of party going on, and Sophie is making the rounds while Parker inches her way closer to the mayor’s office.  He’s got more security than the mayor of Cincinnati, Parker thinks, which is weird for someone who lives in such a tiny little town.  More proof that he’s got something to hide.  

          Parker pushes up on a grate and pops her head up into the room.  Bingo.  She climbs out of the crawlspace and heads across the office to the mayor’s desk.  

          “You’ve got company headed your way.”  Nate says over comms.  “Eliot -”

          “Already there.”  The door swings open and Eliot appears.

          “Plan Q.”  Parker hisses at him.

          Over comms, Nate says, “Plan O.”

          Eliot freezes.  Parker shakes her head.  “Trust me?”  She asks.

          “Yeah, of course.”

          “Plan Q.”  Parker says.  She’s hears Nate say something, but she’s already moving, pocketing the USB from the mayor’s desk and pulling Eliot through the doorway.  They’re just able to close the door before the mayor’s security rounds the corner.

          “How’d you get back here?”  One of the security guards demands.  

          Parker staggers backwards, grabbing onto Eliot’s tie to keep her balance.  “Oh, hi.”  She slurs.  “We were just -”  She leans in and kisses Eliot.  His hand grips her waist as he captures her lips.  

          “Hey, hey.  Break it up.”  The other security guard snaps.  “Back to the party.  This area is off limits.”

          Eliot gives him a mock salute and slips his arm around Parker’s waist.  “Come on, babe.”  

          Parker giggles.  “Okay.”  She teeters down the hall, waiting until they’re no longer in sight of the security team before straightening up.  She grins at Eliot.  “I like Plan Q.”

          Eliot squeezes her waist before letting go.  “Me too.”  He says.  

          “I feel left out.”  Hardison grouches over comms.  

          It takes another two hours, a screen to show the contents of the USB drive, and a call to the police, but they wrap up the job nicely.  The town is safe, the developer is long-gone, and the mayor is thoroughly disgraced.  The old woman who owns the bed and breakfast kisses Nate five times in thanks.  

          Sophie pulls Parker aside as they’re saying their goodbyes.  “You only do Plan Q with Hardison.”  She says.  

          Parker glances across the room.  Her boys are standing next to Nate.  She smiles at them.  When she looks back at Sophie, the other woman has a knowing look on her face.

          “How times have changed.”  Sophie says.  She’s smiling, though, so Parker’s pretty sure she’s happy for them.  

          “They have.”  She agrees.  “I like that they have.”

          Sophie and Nate wave them off, Hardison muttering about not wanting to get into ‘that flying deathtrap again’.  Eliot’s holding Parker’s hand and has his arm slung around Hardison’s shoulders.  Things have changed, and it’s a very good thing.  

 


End file.
